PopTent Debuts: Connecting Brands and Content Makers In a Collaborative, Engaging, and Lucrative Environment

You all know I love the folks at XLNT Ads. Well, a powerful new initiative has debuted from them, and it is definitely worth your time and attention. Full disclosure: We occasionally do projects for XLNT Ads.

So what the heck is PopTent, anyway? Well, the core concept is right there in the brand name, a big tent of brands and content producers that come together to build brands and make great video in powerful, cooperative ways.

Here's their promo video, which will give you the spirit of this community:



There's a lot more to PopTent than my capsule summary text above. First, the environmnet offers producers a real honest to goodness HD player on which to showcase their productions. They can also store, organize and make their great content available in a far more attractive and user friendly environment than the ole 'Tube.

Second, the activity nucleus is around assignments from brands and organizations interested in connecting with great content producers on important projects. There is an opportunity to earn real money from these brands!

Users can keep track of activity on the site through groups on most social networks, tracking producers and brands just like friends.

PopTent has gotten some remarkable buzz since its launch, here are a few excerpts:

Mashable:

PopTent is a new social networking platform for independent and freelance filmmakers and videographers where they can collaborate on projects and earn income as well. Members (also known as Creators) create their profile as they do on other social networks and showcase their talents by sharing their videos online. Potential clients (known as Brands on the site) can hire any member after seeing their profile or work. Members can follow brands or projects just like they do on Twitter and Facebook.

Tech Cunch:

Poptent, a startup that crowdsources advertising to the public, has just launched in public beta. The site allows advertisers and brands to post requests for an ad, which are then produced and submitted by the pool of small studios and videographers that make up the site’s members. Poptent is a sister site to XLNTads (also launching today), which focuses more on the brand marketers rather than video creators.

Poptent CEO Neil Perry says that while Poptent is designed to encourage submissions from its thousands of members, it isn’t going for the “YouTube crowd”. Instead, it’s focused on catering to small but professional teams capable of producing TV-quality ads.

To participate on the site, advertisers pay Poptent a fee of around $25,000, and then post guidelines as to what they’re looking for, along with assets like company logos. Poptent members then film and submit their ads to the site. If an advertiser finds an ad they like, they can purchase it for around $5-7,500 (oftentimes they will purchase multiple ads at once).

It's about brands and content producers and unleashing creativity. And it's about time that someone figured out a great way to bring these folks together.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.